The Welsh Government’s 2021 Programme for Government committed to creating a new National Park spanning parts of Mid and North East Wales, based around the existing Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and extending south into Montgomeryshire. This represents a significant chunk of the rural north west of our constituency.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is the authority responsible for legally designating a National Park. The NRW are in the process of consulting with local communities, assessing the geography of the area, checking the suitability of the area against the legal definition of a National Park, determining potential boundaries, and making recommendations to Welsh Government Ministers.

In Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr, the proposed boundaries cover Dyffryn Ceiriog in the north, Llyn Efyrnwy and Y Berwyn in the west, Llanfyllin and Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant in the east, and down to Coedwig Dyfnant and Meifod at the southern edge. You can see a map of the proposed boundaries below.

I was at a public meeting to discuss the proposed national park in Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant last Friday, 1 November, and would like to hear more thoughts on the proposal from constituents. It is important that everybody who has a view expresses it.

I would greatly appreciate if you could send me your opinions on the proposal to steve.witherden.mp@parliament.uk, and take part in NRW’s official consultation by following this link – you can give your response at the bottom of that page. I would implore anybody who shares their thoughts with me to also complete the NRW consultation, so that your views are taken into account as part of the official process.

The public consultation period is running until 23:59 on Monday, 16 December 2024.